With one of their top players out for several weeks, the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to need some help to make the playoffs.
Conor Sheary did his part on Sunday.
Sheary scored twice and Matt Cullen had the go-ahead goal in the third period as the short-handed Penguins beat the New York Rangers 5-3.
Photo: AFP
The Penguins were missing star Evgeni Malkin, who is out for six to eight weeks after suffering an upper-body injury in their win over Columbus on Friday last week. He is second on the team, with 27 goals and 31 assists in 57 games.
“It is a good opportunity for a lot of guys to get some secondary scoring, to get some more minutes, when a top guy like that goes down,” Sheary said. “Obviously, it is unfortunate for the team as whole, losing a player like that, but it is good for younger guys and guys who do not get that many minutes.”
Patric Hornqvist also scored for Pittsburgh and Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby added an empty-netter for his 29th of the season.
Derick Brassard scored his team-leading 25th goal for the Rangers. Ryan McDonagh and Chris Kreider also scored, while Derek Stepan had two assists.
Jonathan Bernier made 38 saves in his 12th career shutout to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 1-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
It marked the Maple Leafs’ second shutout of the Red Wings in the past 30 years. The last time was Curtis Joseph’s 3-0 victory on Dec. 6, 2000, in Detroit, Michigan.
“I felt great from the get-go,” Bernier said. “We felt we dominated this game from the start and we wanted it.”
Toronto’s Michael Grabner came in on a breakaway and was hauled down by Danny DeKeyser with 29.5 seconds left in the second period. Petr Mrazek made the save, but as Grabner slid into the crease, the puck went into the net.
After a review, it was ruled that the puck crossed the line in a legal fashion before the net was displaced. It was Grabner’s first goal since Jan. 2.
“I saw the puck out of the corner of my eye go in and I knew that I did not touch the goalie,” Grabner said. “I did not feel it hit me or anything. I got a lucky bounce.”
The Tampa Bay Lightning got back on track after a rough week by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0 to stop a three-game slide.
Ben Bishop made 37 saves, while Steven Stamkos had two goals and an assist as Tampa Bay (40-24-5) moved into a tie with idle Florida (38-21-9) for second in the Atlantic division with 85 points.
Stamkos hit the 30-goal mark for the fifth time in eight seasons, while Bishop earned his fourth shutout of the season and No. 16 for his career. Ondrej Palat had a goal and an assist, while Vladislav Namestnikov also scored.
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